Rear-view mirror for automobiles



Oct. 16., 1928. 1,687,572

W; LA HODNY REAR VIEW MIRROR FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Filed Nov. 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct 16, 1928. 1,687,572

w. LA HODNY REAR VIEW MIRROR FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Nov. 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented oa. 16,1928. I I UNITED STATES 11 8 72 1 PATENT. OFFICE.

WILLIAM LA HODNY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD MIRROR INC., 01 BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

REAR-VIEW MIRROR FOB AUTOMOBILES.

Application fled November 18, 1825. Serial No. 69,288.

This invention relates to a rear viewmirror which enables the driver and passengers of an automobile to observe the condition across theentire width of the road, and more '6 particularly .to a' mirror of ,this character which is arranged in front of the windshield and below the visor.

' The object of this invention is to so mount this rear view mirror on the exterior of the l0 carso thatall liability of persons striking this mirror upon entering or leavin the car andbeinginjured thereby is avoide To that end this invention consists broadly in providing a rear view mirror which extends practically across the entire width of the car so as to enable the driver and any gpassengers in the same to obtain a full view of the roadway in rear of the car across its entire width and thus increase safety 1n trafsleet and also capable of being tilted and adj ustedto diflerent heights to suitthe requirements of the driver or other conditions.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1, is a pers ective view of the cab portion of an automo ile equipped with one form of my invention in which the rearview mirror extends approximately" across the entire width of the car.

Figure 2, is a horizontal section of the same taken on line 2-2, Fig. 3, looking upwardlyand on a reduced sca e.

Figure 3,,is a verticalflongitudinal section of the up part of the windshield, the roof of the ca and the visor equipped with one form of m invention.

Figure is a fragmentary vertical section of the same taken on line 4-4, Fig. 2lookmg rearwardly. v

igure 5, is a fragmentary perspect ve v1ew of the rear view mirror and the means for supporting the same on the top of the visor correspon mg to the construction shown in Figs. 1-4.

Figure 6, is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section showing another form of my invention in which the rear view mirror ex- ;fic on highways. More specifically this ini consisting of a forwardly curved or inclined tends approximately across the entire width of the car and is mounted on the under side of the visor and in front of the windshield.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the same.

Figure -8, is a viewsimilar to Fig. 6 but showing another modification of my invention in which the rear view mirror is mounted on a transverse sheet metal wall and a bottom plate forming part of the visor.

Figure 9, is a fragmentary perspective view of the construction-shown in Fi 8.

Figure 10, is a vertical longitudinal sec tion similar to Figs. 6 and 8 showing still an- 1 other form ofmy invention for mountin a full width rear view mirror on the visor low the top thereof.

Figure 11, is a fragmentary rspective view of the construction shown 1n ig. 10.

Figure 12, a fragmenta horizontal section taken on line 12-12, ig, 11.

Figure 13, isa fragmenta vertical longi-' tudinal section showing anot er modification of this invention.

Similar numerals refer 'to similar parts throu bout the several views. Re erring to Figs. 1-3 the numeral 20 represents generally a cab or assenger compartment of an automobile w ich comprises two upright stanchions 21, 21, arranged at the frontends of the side walls thereof, a canopy or roof 22 arranged over the passengers compartment, a windshield arranged in front of the passengers compartment and between the stanchions 21, 21, and'comprising a frame 23 and a transparent pane of glass 24 mounted in this frame, and a visor projecta ing forwardly from the front end of the canopy or roof and beyond the windshield and top 25 and two vertical longitudinal side walls 26 depending from opposite longitudinal edges of the visor top 25. y

The rear view mirror 27 in the present case is comparativel narrow, but of suflicient' 10o len h to exten horizontally across the entire width of the car, or approximately so, whereby the driver or other rsons looking into the mirror can observe t e condition of the trafiic inrear of the car entirely across the roadwa and while occupying any part of the car. I n the preferred construction this rear view mirror is arranged in-front of the windshield and below the top of the visor and so mounted that it will not interfere with no the free opening closing of the wind shield but is protected a ainst the weather and is capable of being raised or lowered and be arranged at the back of the mirror and provided at its upper and lower ed es with orwardly projecting hooks 29, w ich engage around the upper and lower edges of the rear view mirror 27 retaining clips 31 of U-form embracing an edge of the supporting plate or body 28 and engaging with one arm against the back sideof the rear view mirror while its other arm is arranged in front of the respective supporting plate 28, and a clamping screw 32 passin through an opening in the front arm of the respective clip and engaging with a threaded opening in the supporting plate 28 and bearing at its rear end against the rear arm of the clip for the purpose of pressing the latter against the back of the mirror and holding the same reliably in engagement with the hooks 29, 30.

- The supporting .plates or bodies 28 of the brackets adjacent to theends of the rear view mirror are each provided with a horizontal adjusting rod 33 which projects laterally therefrom and is provided with a reduced screw threaded stem 34 which passes through a longitudinal slot 35 in the ad acent side wall of the visor and forms an outwardly facing shoulder 36 on this rod which bears against pose of adjusting the line of vision and ena-' ling the driver or other passen ers looking the screw nuts '37.

ing forwardly into the mirror to o serve the trafiic conditions in rear of the car across the entire roadway. After adjustment, the rear view mirror may be held in place by tighten- If desired the bracketsof the rear view mirror may be additionally supported by providing each of the supportin plates of the several brackets at its upper e ge with a forwardly and downwardly projecting hook 38 which engages over a horizontal supporting rod 39 arranged transversely underneath the visor top, and a plurality of clips 40 which embrace said supporting rod 39 and are secured to the under side of the canopy top by means of rivets 41, as shown in Fig. 3,*or by are thus mounted on a supporting rod the same can be swung about this rod as an axis.

in which case the slots 35 in theside walls of the visor are curved concentrically with such adjustment.

If desired substantially the same results can be obtained by the construction shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12 in which a support for the mirror is provided which extends the full any other suitable means. when the brackets.

7n the axis of the supporting'rod to permit of a length of the same and is adjustably mount-- I ed on the visor. In this construction the numeral 42 represents a mainsupporting plate which is arranged verticall in the back of the mirror and extends the ull length of the 42 by means of solder or otherwise and pro-- vided at its upper and lower edges with rear-' wardly projecting hooks 44, 44 which engage around the upper and-lower edges of the rear view mirror. The latter is pressed forwardly againstthese hooks by means of a clamping device consisting of a presser plate 45 hearing I against the back side of the mirror and provided at its upper and lower edges with guide lugs 46 which pass through slots 47 formed in correspondin parts of the main supporting plate 42 and t e head plate 43, and a clamping screw 48 arranged in a threaded opening in the plates 42 and 43 and bearing against the front side of the presser plate 45, as shown in Fig. 12. At its opposite ends the main suporting plate is provided with two rearwardy ro ecting In 5 49 which are clamped against the inner side of the-visor side walls 26 by means of bolts 50 passing through longitudinal slots 51 in these side walls. These slots 51 are preferably inclined so that by loosening the clamping bolts 50 the-support ing means of the rear view mirror may e1ther be tilted vertically or the same may be raised and lowered bodily by sliding the same uniformly at opposite ends in the inclined slots 51 or the mirror may be tilted laterally into diderent angles by raisi one end of the same more than the other, after which tightenin of. the bolts 50 will holdthemirror 1n its a justed position.

Instead of mounting the full width rear view mirror on the visor so that it is capable of adjustment, this mirror may be fixedly mounted on the visor' in a pre-determined position and at such an angle as will best suit all of the conditions or requirements for obtaining a-goo'd view of the roadway in rear of the car.

In the construction shown in Fi 8 and 9,

the visor is provided with an upn ht transverse wall 52 which is arranged a out mid we between the front and rear ends thereof an extends downwardly from the under side of the visor top 25 to the lower/edge of its side walls 26, and a bottom'platef53 which connects the lower edges of thesidewall 26 and extends from the lower edge of the transverse wall 52 to the frontedge of the top 25. The rear view mirror 27" in this case is preferably beveled at its upper and lower edges, as shown at 54 and the same is held with its back against the rear side of the supporting plate 52 by means of upper clips 55'secured to the under side of the visor top and engaging with the upper beveled edge of the mirror, lower clips 56 secured to the bottom 53 of the visor and engaging with the lower beveled edge of the mirror, and end clips 57 secured to the end portions of the uprightsupporting plate 52 and engaging with the ends 58 of the mirror which preferably are also beveled, as shown.

If desired the rear view mirror 27 may be secured to the rear side of a wooden cross bar 59 by means of upper and lower clips 60, 61, and this cross bar may be secured at its upper edge by means of screws 62 or otherwise to the visor top 25 while its opposite ends may be secured to V-shaped blocks 63 which extend forwardly from the supporting bar 59 and are secured to the under side of the visor top by means of screws 64, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 or by other suitable means.

Instead of making the slot in the side wall 26 of the visor inclined, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the same may be arranged vertically, as shown at 65 in Fig. 13. In this case the head 66 of the bracket is provided with upper and lower hooks 67 which engage around the upper and lower edges of the rear view mirror 27 and the plate 66 is also provided with forwardly projecting arms 68 each of which is secured to a side wall of the visor by means of a clamping bolt 69 pass-. ing through the slot 65.

Upon loosening the bolt 69 the plate 66 together with the mirror mounted thereon may be tilted in a vertical plane and the same may also be raised vertically by shifting the-bolt 69 in the slot 65, and this mirror may also be tilted sidewise into various. angles by raising the mirror plate 66 more on one side of the visor than on the other, and'then the mirror may be held in this position by tight ening the clamping bolts 69 on opposite SldBS of the visor.

In the various constructions of this invention as above described the rear view mirror extends the full width of the car, or nearly so, which gives the widest possible vision of the width of the roadway in rear of the car, the same is arranged outside of the passengcrs compartment so that all danger of collisionwith the rear view mirror and possible injury thereby is avoided, the mirror is arranged in front of the windshield at a sufli-' c ient distance therefrom which will avoid interference therewith upon opening and closing the same, it is protected by the visor from rain, snow and sleet, and when desired the same may also be adjusted to suit different conditions or requirements with ease and facility. a

I claim 1. An automobile visor having a top and side walls provided with longitudinal slots, a rear view mirror arranged below said top, and means for supporting said mirror comprising a plate which carries said mirror and which has its ends arranged adjacent to the underside o the visor top, and on which said 7' hooks are supported, clamping rods projecting laterally from said plates through'said slots, and screw nuts arranged on said rods and engaging said walls.

WILLIAM LA HODNY. 

